1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to structures for damming water courses, controlling and directing water flow, working and support structures where outer fabric sleeves are formed and connected together into stacks, side by side relationship, in cascade arrangement, and the like, forming a dam, water course, fish ladder, or other structure, that are inexpensive to construct, erect, and dismantle, forming a variety of structures.
2. Prior Art
A need for easily installable and versatile dam structures, and the like, particularly structures that are primarily water or air filled, that are relatively inexpensive, non-permanent, reusable and are durable has been early recognized by the inventor who has been awarded U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,059,065 and 5,125,767 for forming and joining water structures together, forming hydraulic damming structures, and in a recent U.S. Pat. No. 6,364,571, that shows a combination of water transfer and damning structures and platforms. Such water structures have been found to be very useful for safely and reliably containing water and for directing water, and are also useful for controlling hazardous waste, oil or chemical spills, for flood control, and the like. Further, such water structures are also useful, for example, for temporary damming operations such as may be involved in agricultural water storage, construction, for de-watering work sites, fields, or the like, and are even appropriate for use as permanent or long term structures.
Heretofore it has been recognized that fluid filled flexible water control structures and barriers can be used for retention and storage of water, control of water flow and wave action, and a number of configurations of dams and barriers that have been formed as both semi-permanent and temporary structures. Additional to the U.S. patents of the inventor, other such arrangements are shown, for example, in U.S. Patents to: Hombostel, Jr., U.S. Pat. No. 3,373,568; Sample, U.S. Pat. No. 4,729,691; Brodersen, U.S. Pat. No. 4,799,821; Hendrix, U.S. Pat. No. 5,040,919; Roach, U.S. Pat. No. 5,605,416; Melin, U.S. Pat. No. 5,857,806; and Miller, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,865,564. Which above cited U.S. Patents show various containment, dam and barrier configurations from permanent to portable structures, and include, as shown in the patent to Brodersen, a structure for encircling a chemical or oil spill. Such earlier patents, however, do not show the various combination of flexible sleeves that are individually joined, as by sewing, into appropriate shapes with each inner sleeve to receive a tube or tubes that are filled with water, forming a containment structure for a particular area or need.
While the particular connected sleeves that receive water filled tubes of the invention are unique, heretofore other specialty water filled structures have been employed as shown, for example, in Thompson, U.S. Pat. No. 4,352,591; Sample, U.S. Pat. No. 4,966,491; Taylor, U.S. Pat. No. 4,981,392; Eaker, U.S. Pat. No. 5,785,455, and Strong, U.S. Pat. No. 5,984,577. Where the above cited patents generally involve inflatable envelope arrangements none provide the combination of joined sleeves to contain the same or different diameters of water filled tubes and cooperating structures for producing the strong and reliable specialty water structures of the invention, that can be further accessorized as by an inclusion of anchoring structures and other water conveying arrangements, such as separate culverts or pipes and attachment methods. Further examples of earlier accessorized structures shown in patents to Swain, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,861,158 and to Carter, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,126,362, that, however, lack the features of the connected outer sleeves of the invention.
Summarizing, unlike the invention, none of the above set out prior art structure provide a barrier arrangement or arrangements of barriers were outer sleeves are fitted and maintained together in a specific barrier configuration that each receive a tube or tubes fitted therein that are filled with water, forming a self supporting structure. Which structures provide a barrier or a shape to perform a certain design function or functions, such as a dam that is lower at its center to direct a flow thereover, a fish ladder type arrangement, a reinforced dam structure where the sleeves are connected side by side to contain several different diameters of water filled tubes. The sleeves and their connections of the invention can further include accessories: such as an anchor or leakage prevention sheet or cloth; can be arranged with a culvert for fitting under the dam to reduce leakage; can receive metal posts or tubes fitted through an opening or openings formed through the sleeves, at their connection, can include anchor points and loops sewn in to the sleeve or sleeves to receive hard tube pipe as attachment points, as well as tie-offs for providing additional support, and incorporate spaces between the sleeves for driving posts therethrough into the ground as dam anchors; and can be formed as a fish ladder, overflow dam or the like, providing a number of useful water filled dam arrangements that are unique to the invention.
It is therefore a principal object of the present invention to provide a hydraulic structure that is formed from a section or sections of water filled sleeves, envelopes, or the like, that are joined together in side by side, end-to-end, or stacked on top of one another, or in other configurations, with the sleeves receiving individual tubes that are filled with water, for forming dams, overflow dams, breakwaters, piers, bridging structures, docks, platforms for drilling, and the like, where such formed structure will be stable when subjected to wave action, a transverse hydraulic force or forces as would tend to permanently move the structure.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a plurality of sleeves, each formed from a strong puncture resistant material, that are joined together as by sewing, clamping, welding or like fastening, along common edges with the sleeves to each receive a tube or tubes that are filled with water to expand against the sleeve walls and are closed within the sleeves to form a water barrier having a desired shape.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a plurality of sleeves, that can be alike or of different sizes and configurations that are for joining together so as to contain an individual water filled tube or tubes, which sleeves are preferably open ended, but can include ends that can be individually closed over or are shaped with a ring structure to pass an individual water filled tube end therethrough for closure as with a tie, and with one such sleeve end closured provided by sewing of a zipper across a sleeve end or ends.
Another object of the present invention is to provide for maintaining a tube or tubes longitudinally in each sleeve such that a plurality of tubes are arranged in side by side relationship and, as required, at least one of the tubes can include a center longitudinal divider for providing a roll resistant structure
Another object of the present invention is to provide a water filled structure formed from a plurality of sleeves arranged side by side where the sleeves are joined along contacting longitudinal surfaces, with some or all of the sleeves formed to have unlike, with a section of a lesser diameter sleeve to serve as a spillway.
Another object of the present invention is to provide, with the water structure, an anchor sheet or sheets that is or are secured across one or a plurality of the sleeves, with the weight of the column of water above the anchor cloth to hold the water structure in place.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide sleeves of different diameters for joining along common longitudinal surfaces that each contain a water filled tube or tubes for forming a water structure for a particular function.
Still another object of the present invention is to include, at least a pair of sleeves that are connected longitudinally, with each of which sleeves to maintain at least one water filled tube fitted therein, and where, prior to filling of the tube or tubes with water, the pair of connected sleeves is positioned over a transverse culvert, or like structure, allowing a flow through the culvert that travels beneath the water structure.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a water filled structure where a junction between connected sleeves includes an opening that a pole, stanchion, pipe, post, or the like, can be fitted through and driven into the ground for anchoring the structure.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide, with the pair of joined sleeves, a pair of load strips that are fitted between individual sleeves and are connected, respectively, to aligned top and bottom surfaces of which joined sleeves, to hold the sleeves top and bottom surfaces in spaced relationship when transverse or side loads are directed thereagainst.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a water filled structure that includes longitudinally connected sleeves that are each formed to provide a transverse portion of a water containment structure and, when the tubes as are contained in each sleeve are filled with water, a water structure is provided that has desired design features to function as a fish ladder, spillway, overflow, or the like.
The present invention is in the connection along common longitudinal surfaces of at least a pair of sleeves that are each formed to contain and maintain a at least one flexible water filled tube, providing a water structure that will resist being rolled when subjected to a side or transverse hydraulic load directed against one face of the water structure. The respective sleeves can be formed to have the same or different diameters and lengths, are preferably formed from a stiff section of material, that will or can be coated to resist punctures, and can be formed into a sleeve or sleeves as by sewing, utilizing at least one and, preferably, a plurality of seams to stitch the section or sections of material together. At least two, or more, sleeves are connected along common longitudinal surfaces, and that connection or joint can be reinforced, as required, with a strap sewn along one or both of the joint surfaces, or can be a mechanical reinforcement, such as sandwiching and maintaining together, as by clamping and/or bolting the joint together, between opposing gusset plates.
At least two sleeves are included with the invention, with each sleeve for containing and maintaining at least one water filed tube. It should, however, be understood that the invention can be in more than two sleeves that can be of different diameters and shapes, and are joined in side by side or end to end relationship to form a multitude of shapes of water structures. With each shape as is formed to perform a function or functions for a particular problem the water structure is intended to handle or solve. With such sleeve arrangements to include, but are not limited to: a side by side relationship of sleeves of successively lesser diameter, forming a right triangle shape; a sleeve or sleeves having a lesser diameter portion or section as a spillway to pass and direct a volume of water as is maintained behind the sleeve ; a side by side sleeves of a greater to lesser diameter, forming a fish ladder type structure maintained between ends of separate water structures to both function as a dam, and/or overflow dam, and to accommodate fish swimming up stream to spawn; and with different diameters of sleeves for coupling together in side by side relationship to accommodate different sizes of tubes for filling with water and even tubes containing center dividers.
Where the invention provides for sleeve end closures, such can be zippers, or the like, that are installed in the sleeve end or ends for containing a water filled tube whose end has been closed. Also, the connected sleeves can be laid over a transverse culvert, or like tube for structure; can include a slot or other opening in an outer containing sleeve that aligns with a junction or junctions of contained inner sleeves to receive an anchor pole, tube, or the like, fitted therethrough and driven into the ground as an anchoring post or pipe arrangement, and may include an anchor sheet or sheets that are each individually secured to extend outwardly from along a sleeve surface to be anchored on the bottom of a volume of water that is retained by the water structure, with the weight of water on the anchor sheet to hold the water structure in place.
In practice a flexible polyethylene plastic or vinyl welded tube manufactured by Layfield Plastics, having a range of wall thickness of from ten (10) to twenty (20) millimeters has been used successfully for installation in the stiff fabric sleeve or sleeves of the invention. Though, it should be understood, the invention is not limited to any particular sleeve or tube manufacture or thickness; can utilize sleeves and/or tubes of greater or lesser wall thickness; can include a mat, of metal, fiber, glass or like secured between the joined sleeves at their top and/or bottom surfaces to provide additional structure for holding the sleeves together, and can be attached to an anchor pipe, or the like, within the scope of this disclosure.